Judge Rachel Ralston Mancl
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee welcomed Rachel Ralston Mancl as a newly appointed United States Bankruptcy Judge to the district. District Judge Clifton L. Corker administered the oath of office to Judge Mancl in a private ceremony on Monday.
Judge Mancl will serve as the primary judge for the Greeneville Division. She succeeds Chief Judge Rucker who has been the acting bankruptcy judge in Greeneville since former Chief Bankruptcy Judge Marcia Phillips Parsons retired in September 2020.
Prior to her appointment, Bankruptcy Judge Mancl spent her legal career in private practice with the law firm of Hunter, Smith & Davis, LLP with offices in Johnson City and Kingsport. Prior to joining the firm, Judge Mancl served as a law clerk for Judge Parsons. She earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee and is a member of the bars of both Tennessee and North Carolina. Judge Mancl is a former President of the Tennessee Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Division, a former member of the Board of Governors for the Tennessee Bar Association, and a former President of the Kingsport Bar Association. She has received several Access to Justice awards for extraordinary pro bono service.
Bankruptcy judges are appointed to their positions by the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals following a merit selection process. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued Judge Mancl’s appointment on April 11, 2022. The district court has delegated the decision-making power over cases arising under, in or related to the Bankruptcy Code. The bankruptcy judge is the judicial officer who decides any matter connected with a bankruptcy case, such as eligibility to file or whether a debtor should receive a discharge of debts.
Bankruptcy Judge Mancl is the fourth bankruptcy judge currently sitting in the Eastern District. She joins Chief Bankruptcy Judge Rucker and Judge Nicholas W. Whittenburg in Chattanooga and Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight in Knoxville. Judge Whittenburg also hears the cases in the Winchester Division of the district.
A public investiture will take place in the coming months and details will be announced
on the court’s website.